Hi, Julia,

I'm not a golfer, but I'm going to take a stab at this. I would suggest that Alzheimer's (because it attacks different parts of the brain) might be impacting your husband's coordination and concentration.

I know that my mom always had fine motor skills, but as she progressed through Alzheimer's, she struggled with coloring within the lines in adult coloring books; her fine motor skills seemed to be impacted. Golfing also seems to rely on fine motor skills - just think of the precision needed in making a putt.

Also, Mom couldn't deal with a lot of stimuli to the point that a pack of 48 crayons offered far too many choices. So based on this, I'd suggest that even though golf is played in seemingly tranquil settings, the carts, other golfers, and even the flutter of leaves could impact your husband's concentration.

With that said, I hope your husband continues to play golf. The hard part is watching his scores go up, but perhaps he should just focus on enjoying the game (and decide along with his golfing buddies not to keep score).

Take care!

Dorian

I think Dorian is right on. The frustration of one's brain not allowing the concentraton and/or coordination needed takes all the fun out of it. I personally believe that frustration is one of the hardest parts of dementia of any kind - at least for as long as the person is aware of what they cannot do. It's got to be so hard for them.

There will be so many losses yet to come. He'll need support to endure those, as well. And you, too will need support. Please keep checking in.

Carol